For trichillomania how much citalopram must u be on for it to work ?

i am on 20 mg citalopram for depression but also have some trichillomania..i always have my hands in my hair..it seems to feel different to me in places and drives me nuts... can't seem to stop even when i know i'm doing it.though i am not pulling it out..i am affecting the hairline on the side and back and throughout the back..constantly going thru it with my fingers. the citalopram for me hasn't changed anything... and i didn;t know it could... i tried N-acetylcholine an amino acid along with taking vitamin c as suggested with that, being studied for trichillomania but had adverse reactions of severe dizziness for three days straight that began after being on it for 6 days already so i had to stop that before it had a chance to begin working. now that they have capped the citalopram dosages for everyone at 40mg due to problems at higher doses... i'm reluctant to have my dose increased higher than the 20mg i'm on now. do u know of anything else being used for trichillomania? in a few days i will be adding abilify as an add on for my depression to the citalopram. wonder if that is a helper for trichillomania..have to check that out.

Responses (2)

AN

Anonymous31 Oct 2011

Hi Mwein, Please don't take this answer the wrong way. Who diagnosed you for Trichotillomania? The symptoms you describe in your question is not Trichotillomania. Trich. usually starts in late adolescence. It is the pulling out one's hair, one strand at a time, and placing the hair root in one's mouth. There is an increasing sense of tension immediately before pulling out a single strand of hair. Up on pulling there is a feeling of pleasure, Gratification, and relief. Followed by a sense of grief, for deforming your body. This series of events can last for a few minutes to several hours. This results in noticeable hair loss. Despite the very noticeable hair, loss this series of events continue to be repeated over and over. This noticeable loss of hair causes a clinically significant to severe distress and impairment in social, occupational functioning. There is a Horrible sense of loss of self worth, and shame. The emotional pain of disfiguring one's self is debilitating. But the cycle is done all over again, for that brief moment of a sense of (pleasure, and relief,or gratification) lasting only moments, then the cycle starts again. It is a form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. There is very little success with drug's or therapy. My wife has Trichotillomania ! We have spent $1000.00's of dollars over the years on this disease. With very poor results. She has been pulling over 25 years. She has been in many Tric. support groups, she has tried a very expensive hair piece, did not work she has worn a ball cap for years. It is a horrific demoralizing disease. I finally found a clinic specializing with Tric. and chemotherapy patents, She now has a custom made and custom fitted full wig, glued to her head, I have watched her suffer for over 23 years. She has only been fitted with this 2 months, I don't know how long this will last. This treatment is very expensive, the clinic will do her hair from now on. I only pray this will work. So a word of warning (((If you do start pulling)))get help as soon as possible. Find a tric. support group in your area and go to some meetings, I just hope you never start pulling. If I can help you in any way just let me know. I have been fighting this disease a long long time. There are allot of people out there with this disease, who because of the shame associated with it suffer in silence. Again Please let me know how you are doing, I will put you on my friend's list.. Good Luck Dave

Oh god, Dave, I wonder if my youngest has this??? My oldest daughter is a hair dresser and she said last time she did Chey's hair she had bold spots in her head??? Its along story with her and I will tell you about it private. Von

Hi Dave, thanks so much for your help..i really appreciate it. i will also add you to my friend list..i am new to the site. sorry it took so long for me to get back to you..i am not always online. my doctor diagnosed me with Tric. i have been doing this for many years my mom tells me..i just was not aware of it myself until the past few years and i can't seem to stop. yes, it certainly seems so far i am very lucky as i know from what i've read and studied and also what you've told me about your wife , that i could be in an entire different spectrum of issues and then some... i know you both are suffering in many many ways with this illness on an entirely different level than i am and i pray that an answer is found to help both of you and the many others who suffer.

and i also know the shame in a way..an example for me was when i was playing pool with my fiance and two other people at our moose lodge and it just so happened at that particular time i was stressed for some reason and so my hands were in hair and the woman on the other team {we were playing doubles} told me to get my hands out of my hair i was making her itchy..well that only made it worse..u know when there is attention brought to it..u get more nervous..so do it more..me anyway..can't seem to stop then at all..well she comes over to me and knocks my hand away! i got all upset and went into the bathroom and began crying. she of course had been drinking and thought i heard later that i was laughing..or so she had said to a friend of mine who told her in no uncertain terms that she had better never ever treat me like that again and she owed me an apology or she'd take her outside..well neither has she apologized or gone near me again..fine with me. People like that are ignorant in my opinion. if someone had a different kind of problem do u make fun of them or embarrass them ..well i quess if maybe u are young or drunk..u might..but in my opinion..drunk is no excuse either..i always say what u say drunk if what u would say sober if u had the nerve. anyway..i won't go on with all that..it was an awful experience and i was happy to have my friends behind me. i am losing hair ..though i am because gradually it comes out from repeated twirling etc... it feels so different to me in those certain areas. i seem to always have my hands around the bottom third of my back of my head and the left side near my ear and behind that..so the line is a total mess and losing some of that hair. problem is it is messing up hairline and each time the hairdresser tries to fix that..sometimes with more success than another. --i had to get off the abilify i mentioned..it lasted ONE DAY! i had a major allergic reaction and had to get to the emergency room for IV push meds etc. just made it there in time in fact. also to continue our discussion..for me..their is no pleasure ..or i don't see it anyway ..involved..i feel anxious, stressed, nervous, tension but with no relief involved. for me it is frequent but not always an all day issue, and some days there are days i do not do it ... don't have an answer there as to why not. seems more of a cycle for me..i go thru a very rough number of days and then have a day where for some reason it does not happen..doesn't even come to mind..or to my hands mind..i know u know what i mean. Have you heard of the Trich learning Center website? i joined it and the list they sent me did not have any support groups at all in my area -closest of anything was three hours away. It was from their site that i found the study using N-acetylcholine.{an amino acid}.which of course did not work out for me as i mentioned in the other message. i have a difficult time with meds..either they work really well or i have an adverse reaction or are allergic to them..and usually it is the latter two. If you hear of anything that does help..though i know you and your wife have been searching yourselves for such a long time ..please let me know of anything new or that might help..ANYTHING. i think for me..my mind keeps working and working..keeps going..and then my hands go too. who knows. i will keep both you and your wife in my prayers and thank you for reaching out to me , that means alot..a support group right here. i hope to hear back from you soon , take care, your friend, Mindy

I also have trich... what I do..is I finger thru my hair..until i feel a hair..that feel's different that all the rest..and that hair has got to go..before I know it I'm pulling that hair out. Now..I don't eat the hair..some do. I just rub it against my lips..to feel the coldness or wetness of it I guess..I have no idea why. I'm very ashamed and never go out in public..only one a month when I have to pick up my meds. I always wear a wig when I'm out..and at home I wear a turbin like thingie.. But I'm severely depressed,ashamed, mortified..that I do this. Why can't i stop? My hair..before I started pulling a few years ago..at age 29..was down to my butt..and thick and curly. Now.. I barely have any at all.. Almost bald. It grows really slowly and I keep pulling..feeling for that one hair that feels thicker,curlier,crinkly..or longer.. just different. My husband longs to have my hair back..and so do I..I just wish... I could stop. I'm so afraid I've done soo much damage that it'll never grow back.